I am starting to lose hope

I honestly think that i am writing this all out just to get it off my chest, and maybe to get some insight or words of encouragement. I have been on this weight loss rollercoaster for far to long now! I eat well (I follow MFP) and have lost and gained the same 5 lbs for several months now. I have about 60 lbs to lose and would love to lose about 30 before my December wedding. I am starting the hiphop abs program tonight and plan on doing some lifting a few days a week as well. I really just feel like my goals are too far out of reach.

Myself and a few other ladies run a FB page for women looking to lose a decent amount of weight, and i try so hard to be positive for all of them i have ignored the fact that i am letting myself go completely. I stepped on the scale this morning and was instantly in tears. I know that some may be from PMS but i was up 8 lbs from last wednesday.

I am terrified to think that i may be walking down the isle looking the way i do now. I have exactly 5 months until show time. Am i totally unrealistic for setting a goal of 30 lbs by then?

@mattsgirl813: hey darlin. i just wanted to say that i think MFP puts your calorie limits WAY too low. i’ve read that it might be better to calculate your TDEE, and then reduce that by 20-30% to find what you should be eating to lose weight. sometimes i think weight loss can be stalled by not properly fueling your body! also, are you drinking a LOT of water? i try to drink at least a gallon a day. stay hydrated! and mix up what you’re eating.. lots of colors! different veggies, etc. 30 lbs is a lot, but definitely possible. try not to get so fixated on the number and work at FEELING better. you will get there!

I can see where you’re coming from, but you know, it’s not about how long it takes you to lose the weight. You’ve made all the changes that you need to hopefully, and so you’ve already reached a very important goal- that is, living healthy by your wedding. Just keep living healthy, and eventually you’ll see the benefits. And as soon as you start losing the weight, you will have a lot more motivation to stick with it.

Just, whatever you do, stick with it. This isn’t just about your wedding day, but about your whole life. Just think 30 years from now how you will feel about it. Will you care that you didn’t lose that exact amount of weight by your wedding, or will you just be thankful that you turned your life around and got healthy, even if it took longer than you’d hoped? It will probably take a year or longer to really feel great, once you’ve instituted these changes. So all you have to do is stick with it. Just hang in there!

@jessicadarling: Thanks:) I usually eat about 1400 calories a day. MFP has me at 1200, but i will look into the TDEE. I do drink a lot of water. I have a pretty large cup that sits on my desk and i fill it up about 5 times in a work day

However, I think you need more structure to help it come off faster. I’m not sure what your diet is like but, you should cut out gluten, alcohol, processed foods, and sugar. A clean eating plan would be more beneficial, following MFP doesn’t mean your eating healthy it just means your counting calories.

Keep your hopes up!! It will help in the journey. A huge part of my health journey was a positive attitude. It literally does wonders!!

Personally, I think 30 pounds in 5 months is totally reasonable! It’s a little less than a pound and a half a week which is absolutely attainable! Keep your eyes on the prize, a healthy mind body and soul! Get out and do one active thing a day, even if you really don’t want to and een if it’s just a walk!! Drink enough water!! It is seriously so important for maintaining a healthy weight (and a healthy body!) half your weight in ounces, divide by 8 for number of glasses (approximately, or divide by whatever number of ounces yur favourite drinking device is!) Eat salad, twice a day! Make up a big one and just keep it in the fridge for 2or 3 days. Eating salad is easy when is grab and go! olive oil, blsamic vinegar and lemon juice makes a delicious light salad dressing! Try to eat meatless a couple times a week (think chick peas, beans, quinoa, there’s a ton of options!) Can the canned stuff (haha) and the chips and pop in all forms. Watch juice consumption, the sugar can sneak up on you, its often viewed as healthy but you do have to limit consumption. Have a cut off time so your body gets a 12 hours break every night (I do 7pm but it varies person to person depending on your schedule)

At the end of the day, keep in mind that you can do it!! I went from 230+ to 135 steady for the last couple years so I can tell you this for a fact! Your goals are in reach, and you are going to go out there and get them!!

@peachacid: Most days i make myself eggs in the morning before work, then i have string cheese and a salad with very little dressing or leftovers from the night befores dinners. for Dinner i usually make fish, chicken or ground turkey with a veggie, salad and maybe some rice. I hardly eat potatos and try to watch my pasta and bread intake. Snacks are usually fruit, pretzels baked snap peas and mini rice cakes

@mattsgirl813: I would swap the string cheese for a different snack, (maybe nuts or something like that?) snap peas sounds good, watch the fruit (like juice) its high sugar and when you eat it in and amongst heavier meals (proteins and carbs) it doesn’t get digested properly and turns into fat. I try to eat fruit first thing in the morning, a couple hours before start eating and then I leave it alone mostly. Mini rice cakes, depending on what kind, can be surprisingly bad for you. Try to stick to plain (maybe bring a jar of natural peanut butter to put on’em!)

Thank you all! you ladies are so kind and truly encouraging! My plan to do my HHA workout after work then maybe take the pup for a walk. I dont want to over do it 🙂 I am making turkey tacos for dinner, but maybe i will skip the tortilla and use lettuce instead

@mattsgirl813: Don’t lose hope. I personally use MFP also, but I use it more as a tracker to be accountable for what I eat rather than the “I can only eat this much more” mentality. If you drink soda or anything, cutting that out would be step 1. FI lost about 10 pounds just doing that. It sounds like you’re eating very healthy, and that’s a goal that not many people have been able to reach yet. That in it of itself is something to be proud of.

It’s different for everybody, but I have found that I’ve lost weight faster by eating more often. I will typically make myself a fruit smoothie (more like a slush) in the morning using frozen fruit and some sparkling ice (flavored carbonated water – no calories, sugar, or anything). In between my meals, I’ll snack on nuts or fruit or my snap pea crisps. I try to make sure that I eat at least a little bit of something every 1-2 hours. I also have a Pur water pitcher that I try to at least finish before the end of the work day.